There are conventional techniques for viewing a webpage, or the like, obtained from the Internet, using a television. For example, with the conventional technique, it is possible to access the Internet by means of a game apparatus to display a webpage on the Internet on a television. Thus, a user can view a webpage on a television whose screen is larger than an ordinary monitor used with a personal computer. For example, by displaying a webpage including content items such as videos and still images on a television, it is easier even for a plurality of people to view the content items and it is possible to provide strongly-appealing images.
Since the above technique is simply for displaying a webpage on a television, it often fails to provide an easy-to-view and well-controllable content playback.
Thus, the present specification discloses an information processing system, an information processing apparatus, a storage medium having an information processing program stored thereon, and a content playback control method with which it is possible to perform an easy-to-view and well-controllable content playback control.
(1) An information processing system disclosed in the present specification is as follows.
An information processing system including a stationary display device, and a portable display device on which a predetermined input can be made by a user, including:
a content playback unit for playing a content item to thereby generate a playback image, and displaying the playback image at least on the stationary display device;
a UI image generation unit for generating a user interface image used for specifying a content item to be played;
a switching display control unit for alternatively displaying the playback image being played and the user interface image on the portable display device while a content item is being played by the content playback unit; and
a content specifying unit for specifying a content item to be played next based on a predetermined input made by the user on the portable display device using the user interface image,
wherein the content playback unit next plays the content item specified by the content specifying unit.
The “information processing system” may be formed by a stationary display device, a portable display device, and one information processing apparatus, or may be formed by a stationary display device, a portable display device, and a plurality of information processing apparatuses. The portable display device may have the function of an information processing apparatus and perform processes (or some of them). The portable apparatus having the function of an information processing apparatus and the stationary information processing apparatus may share processes therebetween. The stationary display device may have the function of an information processing apparatus and perform processes. The “information processing apparatus” may be a multi-purpose information processing apparatus such as an ordinary personal computer, in addition to a game apparatus of an embodiment to be described below.
The “user interface image used for selecting a content item to be played” may be an image including a list (typically, a list of thumbnails or a list of names) of content items that can be played, or an image used for searching through content items that can be played. A content item to be played is selected using these images.
The “portable display device” is a display device that has such a size that it can be held and moved by the user, and the position thereof can be changed to any position by the user.
The “stationary display device” is a concept including any stationary display device, in addition to a television of an embodiment to be described below.
With configuration (1) above, it is possible to display a content item on the stationary display device in an easy-to-view manner, while it is possible to perform an operation of specifying a content item to be played next using the portable display device without hindering the viewing of the content item being currently watched. The operator of the portable display device can perform the backstage operation of specifying a content item to be played next, and can also enjoy the content item being currently played by having the playback image displayed on the portable display device.
(2) The configuration may be as follows:
the information processing apparatus further includes a playback status display control unit for displaying, on the portable display device, a playback status image which represents a playback status of the content item being played by the content playback unit,
wherein the playback status display control unit displays, on the portable display device, the playback status image together with the playback image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the playback image being played, and displays, on the portable display device, the playback status image together with the user interface image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the user interface image.
With configuration (2) above, it is possible to check the playback status of the content item being currently played on the portable display device. On the portable display device, the playback status of the content item being currently played is displayed even when a content item to be played next is being selected. Therefore, it is possible to select a content item to be played next while checking the playback status of the content item being currently played on the portable display device.
(3) The configuration may be as follows:
the playback status display control unit displays the playback status image below the playback image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the playback image being played, and displays the playback status image above the user interface image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the user interface image.
With configuration (3) above, it is the normal state of use where the operator of the portable display device performs operations while holding the portable display device at hand in front of the stationary display device. Then, it is often the case that the screen of the stationary display device is located above the screen of the portable display device. The playback status image is arranged below the playback image on the portable display device when display has been switched to the playback image on the portable display device, and the playback status image is located substantially below the playback image on the stationary display device when display has been switched to the user interface image. In either case, the positional relationship does not change substantially, and it is therefore possible to provide a user interface that is intuitive and easy to use.
(4) The configuration may be as follows:
the portable display device includes a coordinate input unit;
the information processing system further includes a playback control display control unit for displaying, on the portable display device, a playback control image which is displayed for controlling the playback of the content item being played by the content playback unit;
the playback control display control unit displays, on the portable display device, the playback control image together with the playback image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the playback image being played, and displays, on the portable display device, the playback control image together with the user interface image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the user interface image; and
the playback control unit performs a playback control on a content item being currently played when a coordinate input is made on the playback control image by the coordinate input unit.
With configuration (4) above, a playback control of a content item being played can be performed on the portable display device. Since it is possible to perform a playback control of a content item being currently played even when selecting a content item to be played next on the portable display device, it is possible to select a content item to be played next while controlling the playback of the content item being currently played on the portable display device.
(5) The configuration may be as follows:
the playback control display control unit displays the playback control image below the playback image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the playback image being played, and displays the playback control image above the user interface image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the user interface image.
With configuration (5) above, the playback control image is arranged below the playback image on the portable display device when the playback image is displayed on the portable display device, and the playback control image is located substantially below the playback image on the stationary display device even when the user interface image is displayed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a user interface that is intuitive and easy to use.
(6) The configuration may be as follows:
the portable display device includes a coordinate input unit; and
the switching display control unit switches what is displayed on the portable display device from the playback image to the user interface image when a coordinate input representing an upward direction is made on the coordinate input unit.
With configuration (6) above, display of the portable display device is switched from the playback image to the user interface image when a coordinate input representing an upward direction (i.e., the direction where there is the playback image on the stationary display device) is made on the portable display device. Therefore, it is possible to provide a user interface that is intuitive and easy to use, in which it feels as if the content item being played on the portable display device were merging and disappearing into the content item being played on the stationary display device.
(7) The configuration may be as follows:
when switching from the user interface image to the playback image, the switching display control unit displays the playback image of the content item being currently played by the content playback unit so that the playback image gradually slides in from an upward direction on the portable display device.
With configuration (7) above, it is possible to provide a user interface that is intuitive and easy to use, in which it feels as if the content item being played on the stationary display device were falling down into the portable display device.
(8) The configuration may be as follows:
when switching from the playback image to the user interface image, the switching display control unit displays the playback image of the content item being currently played by the content playback unit so that the playback image gradually slides out in an upward direction on the portable display device.
(9) The configuration may be as follows:
when playing a content item that has been specified by the content specifying unit to be played next, the content playback unit displays the playback image on the stationary display device, and switches display of the portable display device to the playback image by the switching display control unit to display the playback image on the portable display device.
(10) The configuration may be as follows:
when playback of a content item by the content playback unit is completed, the switching display control unit displays the user interface image both on the portable display device and on the stationary display device.
(11) The configuration may be as follows:
the information processing system further includes a communication unit that can be connected to a network for communicating with a predetermined external device storing content items therein via the network;
the UI image generation unit obtains a list of content items stored in the external device via the communication unit to generate an interface image for specifying a content item to be played from among the list of content items; and
the content playback unit obtains the content item specified by the content specifying unit from the external device via the communication unit to play the content item.
(12) The configuration may be as follows:
the information processing system includes an information processing unit capable of generating display data and outputting the display data to the stationary display device and the portable display device;
the information processing unit functions as the UI image generation unit and the content playback unit;
the user interface image generated by the UI image generation unit and the playback image produced by the content playback unit are selectively or simultaneously output to the portable display device;
the playback image produced by the content playback unit is output to the stationary display device; and
the stationary display device and the portable display device receive and display the display data from an information processing apparatus.
The present specification discloses an example information processing apparatus having like components to those of (1) to (12) above. The present specification also discloses an example non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon an information processing program, which causes a computer of an information processing system or an information processing apparatus to function as like components to those of (1) to (12) above. Moreover, the present specification also discloses an example content playback control method to be carried out by an information processing system or an information processing apparatus of (1) to (12) above.
As described above, with the information processing system, the information processing apparatus, the information processing program and the content playback control method described above, it is possible to realize both ease to view a content item and ease to specify a content item to be played.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.